Electromagnetic musical instrument.



G. BREED. ELECTROMAGNETIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. Anucmou'mrb mus. m5.

" Patented July 17, 1917 Z SHEETS SHEET 2.

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' WITNESSES:

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE BREED, OF PHILADELPHIA, YENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 LYRACHORD COM-PANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTROMAGNETIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification 01' Letters Iatent.

Patented July 1'7, 1917.

Application filed February 8, 1915. Serial No. 6,452.

To all 20 ham it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonon Basso, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in ElectromagneticMusical Instruments, of "which the following is a specification.

My improvements are designed primarily to simplify the construction,eliminate eccentricities of action, secure better phase relations andprevent interferences with the desired vibrations of the musicalstrings, with the production of improved musical eflects, particularlyin electronagnetic pianos, a leading purpose being to provide improvedmeans for connecting piano strings with the means for pulsating thecurrent 'passing through the electromagnets and thereby eflecting thedesired'pulsat-ions.

A further purpose of my improvements is to obtain a more substantial andconvenient construction adapted to be adjusted to modi the tones of theinstrument.

The characteristic features of the invention are fully disclosed in thefollowing descr-i tion and the accompanying drawings in i lustrationthereof.

In the drawings, Figure l' is a broken sectional and diagrammatic viewof parts of a piano having a form of my improvements applied thereto;Fig. 2 is a broken front elevation of part of the construction shown inFig. 1; Fig. 3 is a broken perspective view of an element illustrated inelevation in Fig.

2; Fig. 4 is a sectional side view of a con struction similar to thatshown in perspective in Fig. 3, with a modified contact holder; Fig. 5is a sectional side elevation illustrating modified details ofconstruction; Fig. 6 is a broken front elevation of details ofconstruction shown in Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a broken sectional viewtaken on the ins sca: of Fig. 5.

The instrument, as illustrated in Figs' 1 to 4 inclusive, comprises theusual plate 1 provided with the V-bar or bridge 2, the bridge 3 and thepins 4, and the sounding board 6 provided with the bridge 7, which holdthe strings 8, the latter being engaged between the bridges 2 and 3 bythe pressure bar 9.

In the form of the invention here illustrated, the bearings 10 ofinsulating material are fixed on the pressure bar 9 and insulatingbrackets 11 are connected to these bearings by screws 12. The bearings10 have the conducting clips 13 fixed thereon n'nd the brackets ll havefixed thereto the conducting clips 1% engaging the clips 13, the clips14 having the resilientblades 14' adapted to be adjusted in the recesses11 of. the brackets by set screws 15. The springs 14, are connected byline wires 16 with the wire arms or hangers 17 provided with the coils17 by which they are fulcrumed on pintlcs 18 and with the coils 17 inwhich are Screwed the-carbon contacts 19. \Vire hangers 20 are grippedin clamps 21 fixed on the bearings 10 and are provided with eyes 20' foradjustment and coils 21" for holding the carbon contacts 22 whichcooperate with the contacts 19. The wires 20 are adapted to be turned inthe clamps '21 for the purpose of changing the relation between thecarbon contacts 1!) and "22, the adjustment thus effected modifying thepulsations of current passing through such contacts. Silk phase stringsconnect musical strings 8 with the pulsator comprising the contacts 19and 22, the connection being made in various ways,

as b drawin the strin r from a strin 8 D 0 across the coil 21" andarou"d the wire 20 to an anchorage 2i in the member 10 or carrying suchstring 23 along and against the coils to an anchorage 24 in ablock 11,the tension of the strings being variable by turning the members 20. Theseveral arrangements are commonly found in a single instrument. Aparticular arrangement is not essential and the arrangements are variedby trial so as to produce the desired musical effect.

Each pnlsator has its contacts 19 and2'2 connected in ,circuit with anelectro-magnet vated by the key or lever 36, carries an adjustablemember 38 for lifting the resilient 'tacts 22) by extensions 21 abuttincontact 32 into engagement with the like contact 30.

In operation, upon closing a circuit con taining an electro-magnetand apulsator, the corresponding piano string is vibrated by the actions ofthe electro-magnet and the pulsator, the corresponding spring 14 actingthrough the connected fine wire 16 u on the arm 17 to hold the contact19 against the contact 22 and the pressure-between the contacts beingregulated through the regulation of the tension of the fine wire by thecurrent. When the musical effect is not satisfactory, it can becorrected by trial through turning the device 20 corresponding to thestring 8 producing the note, so as to change the contacting relationbetween the parts 19 and 22, and also the tension of the string 23 whichcoordinates the actions of the musical string and the current.

I have found that most satisfactory results are obtained by attachingthe phase strings 23 to the strings 8 near or in con tact with one ofthe bridges, the strings 23 having the function of effecting the desiredphase relation between the sonorous members and pulsators and beingadjustable by varying their relation to the pulsators and sonorousmembers.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive, thestrings 8, supported by the plate 1 through the parts 2, 3, 4, and 7(see Fig. 1) are connected with coils 21 (on hangers 20 for holdingconagainst the strings, or extensions 21 in rictional contact with thestrings, or a brush like construction 21 having fibers between which thestrings are drawn, the parts 21, 21" 21, and 21 being adapted formechanically coordinating the vibrations of the .musical strings and thepulsations of the current pulsatin mechanism.

Having descriEed my invention, I claim: 1. In a musical instrument, thecombination of musical strings, circuits containing electro-magnets foractuating said strin and current pulsating devices, and flexib e stringsconnected with said musical strings and engaging said pulsators, saidflexible strings drawn between an anchorage and said musical strings incontact with said pulsators.

2. In a musical instrument, the combina tion of a musical string, acircuit containing an electro magnetfor actuating said string andcomprising a current pulsating mechanism r nt s p r i e a ryingcontacts, and a flexible string drawn from said musical string acrosssaid mechanism in contact therewith.

3. In a musical instrument, the combination of a musical string, acircuit containing means for actuating said string and current pulsatingmechanism comprising contacts, and a journaled device carryhig one ofsaid contacts for setting the relation of said contacts.

4. In a musical instrument, the combination with a musical string, of acircuit containing an electro-magnet adapted for actuating said stringand current pulsating mechanism comprising a air of hangers in said gicuit, contacts carried by said hangers, means whereby the engagementbetween said contacts can be varied, and means for directly connectingsaid bu'lsator with said musical string, said means comprising a stringdrawn across and engaging a part of said pulsator.

5. In a musical instrument, the combination with a musical string, of acircuit containing an electro-magnet. and acurrent pulsator comprising ajournaled conducting de vice, a contact carried by said device, a

second conducting device, and a contact carried by said secondconducting device in engagement with said contact first named.

6. In a musical instrument, a 'musical string, a circuit containing anelectromagnet and a pulsator comprising a conwith said musical'string soas to mechanically coordinate the vibrations of said musical string andthe 'actionpf saidpulsator.

7. In a musical instrument, the combination with a musical string of acircuit containing an electno-magnet and a pulsator comprising contacts,and means for-turning one of said contacts In testimony whereof I havehereunto set my name this 27th day of January, 1915, in the presence ofthe subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE BREED.

Witnesses:

Joe. G. DENNY, Jr., MARJORY Dn Gan,

'ductor in said circuit, a contact carried by

